change

Such a time as this

Posted on by Dr. T

Today I am teaching a class on campus. This is the first onsite class I have taught since my trip to Nepal. It was in Nepal that I had a dream that changed the way I “do church.” I used to only attend Bible study and Sunday morning worship, and I read the Bible sporadically; but since that dream my husband and I read the Bible together every day and then we pray, and at night I read the Bible on my own. I also attend evening worship and Wednesday services.

I believe that my armor is continually getting stronger and my sword is more sharpened than it was in the past. My desire now is to go to this class and allow God to speak through me so that every one of the students there can be changed. I think this is appropriate because the class focuses on personal adjustment and changes, and it is taught in a Christian university.

Could it be that all this preparation was meant for “such a time as this”? (A reference to Esther 4:14). I will go to this class as if I am heading into a spiritual battlefield.

What kind of preparations have you been taking to enter your battlefield? What have you been doing to strengthen your armor and sharpen your weapon?

Copyright © 2013 M. Teresa Trascritti

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Change

Posted on by Dr. T

I’m thinking about a question that was asked this evening— if you could have the perfect relationship (such as with your spouse, a loved one, etc.), what would it look like?

Some people think they have the power to change others. For example, they enter relationships believing that people will change simply because they are in that person’s life. When there are no changes, then they get disappointed.

The truth is we don’t have the power to change anyone, but God does. Ezekiel 36:26 says, “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart” (NLT).

That perfect relationship that you want is possible— with God’s power.  Pray that He changes your loved one, but most of all, ask Him to change you (Psalm 51:10).

Copyright © 2013 M. Teresa Trascritti

Change is possible

Posted on by Dr. T

I think going through difficult situations and challenges, in general, helps us to grow and change.  I think of people who go through military basic training– they are facing difficulties (such as being away from loved ones, and living in an unfamiliar environment) and challenges (getting used to rigorous activity and learning new skills) but at the end of their training they are stronger and more confident. I think this is why the apostle Paul uses the imagery of an athlete when he talked about the Christian life–

“Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27, NLT).  Being a Christian is not very easy. We often do not do the things we should do, but we get up and keep going. I hold onto the fact that all things are possible with God, so it is possible for anyone to change for the better with His help.

My thought about personality theories

Posted on by Dr. T

I teach an Intro to Psych class and the following is what I posted in one of the discussion forums:

“there are many professionals who disregard Freud’s theories, but there are some aspects of it that make sense. As with any theory, we need to separate the “wheat’ from the “chaff”– keeping what is helpful and discarding the rest. Theories are helpful if they allow us to better understand ourselves and others– for the intention of building others up. We can understand where they are (and how they got there) and help them overcome whatever obstacle is hindering them from become all that God wants them to be. I firmly believe that our personality can change because nothing is impossible with God.”